Virtual reality, the death of morality, and the perils of making the virtual ever more real

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As the technology that underpins virtual reality develops and the experiences become increasingly more real, I’ve been pondering a particularly morbid thought: When will we have the first VR-induced death? Will a realistic rocket launcher blast in Team Fortress 2 or VR version of Silent Hill give you a heart attack? Will watching the chase sequence in Casino Royale in full VR 3D pump enough adrenaline into your system that your heart beat becomes arrhythmic, eventually leading to death? Will a a VR experience be so realistic that you get so swept up in the moment that you run into a wall or jump out a window?

I’ve always been fascinated by the interrelationship of real and virtual worlds, and how technological advancement has brought them steadily closer and closer together until it can be very hard to discern the virtual from the real. The simplest virtual worlds — those created in your head with your imagination, perhaps with the aid of a good book — are very easily differentiated from reality (by most humans, anyway). Early digital virtual worlds, like EverQuest or Discworld MUD, started to blur the lines with persistence, graphics, and other interactive elements that trigger very real-world reactions (both physical and psychosomatic). And now, as we move into an era of ultra-high-resolution displays, 3D audio, and advanced AI, it’s possible to create some very real virtual worlds indeed.

It is fairly hard to keep grips on reality when you have a big pair of pitch-black goggles over your face.

I don’t think we’ve yet seen someone actually scared to death by a modern 3D/VR setup, but it’s only a matter of time. The precedent has certainly been set over the last few years, though, especially when it comes to MMOs and other “grindy” games — there have been a handfulof cases of people dying of exhaustion because they neglected their basic needs (food, sleep, exercise). In some cases, these people had some kind of underlying condition that made such physically and emotionally intensive experiences more likely to cause death — but as the technology becomes ever more immersive, and designers and architects create games and virtual worlds that are indiscernible from the real thing, I think VR death will be a somewhat regular occurrence.

Even if you don’t agree that VR will scare people to death, at the very least I think we can agree that full VR experiences will be incredibly absorbing. If an MMO like World of Warcraft or Lineage can keep people sitting down for days on end, VR will up the ante considerably. I’m not saying that people will start dropping like flies as soon as the first immersive VR experiences become readily available, but there will definitely be more deaths from exhaustion and users generally not looking after their physical and emotional needs.

I personally lost eight years of my life playing WoW. Yeah.

This is before we consider the other inevitable VR-related problems that will be caused by misuse of the technology, irresponsible developers, and dozens of other indirect issues. If an iPod and some headphones can distract someone enough that they walk into the path of some traffic or an oncoming train, imagine the perils of using VR outside the safety of room; even wandering around your house could be dangerous. Despite the relatively low-quality VR produced by Oculus Rift, there are already reports of people experiencing the odd sensation of a fraying, blurring divide between real and virtual that persists for a few minutes after detaching from a VR device. A curious and/or malevolent game developer, after getting a taste for the immersion provided by VR, could easily craft an experience that’s intended to cause mental or physical harm.

Indirectly, but still significantly, a whole host of issues might arise if a significant proportion of the populace are constantly strapped into their VR setup. There have already been a few sad cases of parents being so engrossed by a virtual world that their baby/child died from neglect — or worse — and I’m sure it’ll only get worse as advanced VR tech matures.

Tagged In

Interesting perspective, but I think it’s overblown a little bit. There will be some hazards from moving around with a VR headset, but something like falling out a window or accidentally stepping on your cat’s head will be rare. I can’t imagine dying in a VR game convincing the human body it’s really dead and just dying. The biggest concern I think is heart attacks from horror games.

Yeah, I’m not sure. Heart attacks will definitely be an issue (especially for people with some kind of underlying condition). I’m very curious about how many people become so absorbed/immersed by VR that they forget to eat/wash/look after their kids.

Charles Walker

Fortunately as human beings, our bodies will still naturally tell us when we need to potty, eat, etc. Good VR experience should be no more concerning than getting into a really good book or movie. If anything, I think reading novels are more dangerous than VR because it’s a passive activity whereas VR keeps you in the moment. I’ve known people to read for several hours and have no idea where time went. VR can’t come soon enough and I’m excited for all the possibilities ranging from adult games to shooters. :)

Marco

I’ve met a lot of people who are addicted to playing video games, but hardly anyone who gets addicted to books in the same way. There’s something psychologically different between immersing yourself in a good book using your imagination and getting electronic stimulation from the pixels. There’s also a huge difference in the way a game can be designed from the ground up to trick your brain and form new and powerful habits, and the inability to do that with a book.

Take a look at the Korean couple in 2010 who got obsessed with raising a virtual girl named Anima (which, incedentally is the italian word for “soul”) in the very popular game Prius Online. They had a real newborn baby girl at the time, and spend all their time down at the internet cafe “raising” Anima, while occasionally coming back to their apartment to check on their infant and feed her some powdered milk. Oh how that poor baby must have suffered for those months. And after all that neglect and suffering, she finally died, having effectively endured her whole life (3 months) of torture.

Yes, this is an extreme case. And other people addicted to other things too and do similarly horrible things. But the science of the physiology of the brain, addictions, and habits has really come a long way in the last few years. The power of creating habits in people, and the effect that has on our choices, is now understood to be far more powerful than we ever knew. Many digital games are truly just virtual versions of crack, and have just as much addictive power.

Aside from physical addiction, the main reason why I agree with Sebastian about the potential dangers of VR is that they can and will be designed to be alluring and wonderful and give you everything that your real life doesn’t. Going back to the story’s example of the Matrix, we have a perfect example. Cypher was tired of the difficulties of real life, despite knowing exactly what the alternative was. So he sold out to the machines with the understanding that they would plug him back in to the virtual world if he would give up his friends. The perfect example of choosing VR over real life at great cost to your friends.

massau

but a full imersive VR could give everyone everything they want withut them really having it.
i mean not every one can have a villa, 10 Ferraris etc. Or be a space explorer.

so a full imersive AI could help with over population lack of resources, the near future unemployment problems and other emerging problems.

but there are a lot of problems with this approach:
but is it ethical to put people in a VR to give them a “better” life?
who needs to keep this VR up and running why creates new things? who is allowed in or out?
what will we do with the real world? should we all live in dyson sphere based simulates or should we explorer the universe?

Marco

Yes, many questions. Though the people may use fewer resources if they are always in a VR world, they still use real resources. And they produce none. And of course, if one knows, even on a subconscious level, that they’re not in the real world, we’re unsure as to the effects on their minds. Certainly their bodies wouldn’t last long before starting to have serious problems. Even a person in a stable coma today at home needs a lot of care to keep their bodies from having severe problems that will kill them quickly. It’s not quite as simple as just putting them in some kind of stasis tube and checking on them every few months.

but as for using resources and producing non well if the robot automation comes then we do not need to create anything anymore. but it still is a viable solution for over population.
or maybe in the far future when we get bored as a species of the real universe. (probably when we are unable to find FTL flight.)

HannahDittonyou

My Uncle Christopher just got a year 2013 Mercedes-Benz GLK-Class Diesel just by some part-time working online. read the full info here -> HOME BASED JOBS <-

Dave Silva

You do not know many readers. The same feelings do get people addicted to a book as they are addicted to gaming. It is the exact same thing except a book has a solid concrete ending, where many modern day games do not. Here is the thing though, you cannot destroy something because a tiny fragment of a small percentage of people will get so addicted to it that they destroy their own lives, because that would require getting rid of absolutely everything. People choose their own addictions. Some are healthy, some are not, but almost everyone has them. So no matter how addictive designers will make the games, normal people will be able to ignore it and know it is not real, just like they do today. Only college kids will let their addictions run wild, because they have the free time to do so.

Marco

Actually I speak from much experience, as I know many heavy readers. My wife being one, which I can share as an example. From a young age she has always read a lot. She absolutely loves reading. She can easily consume 2 books a day if she has nothing else to do. In fact, as a hobby she still reads and reviews many books for newspapers. Give her War and Peace and she’ll consume it in 2-3 days if nothing else is pressing. She dreams of one day building a house where she has her own private library. She has spent massive chunks of her life reading. And yet, she has never once neglected her responsibilities and friends and family to read a book. She reads a lot less now than she used to, because she has more responsibilities. If someone calls and needs help or wants to visit with her, she puts the book down immediately and goes. No problem.

About 6 years ago she got introduced into one of the more popular MMORPGs. Within 5 minutes she was hooked. All she wanted to do was play. Get the next level, grind the next piece of gear, obtain the next achievement, run the next dungeon. The laundry started piling up, dinner became microwave pizza, she would get annoyed at the “neediness” of the children, etc. She was clearly addicted, and it was plain for everyone to see, except her. After a while she did notice, and realized how addicting the game was for her. She quit and cancelled, unistalled, and never looked back. She said that she knew that she could never play it casually, as a hobby, as it would just suck her back in, that it was too strong to easily break free of.

I’ve met lots of people like her (she’s a reader, so has lots of reader friends). And I’ve met a whole lot of gamers (I’ve been one, on and off, in the past and I don’t get hooked like so many others). And while I realize that I only have a few data points, they are very consistent data points. The clear conclusion that I see from my limited amount of data is that video games are far more addictive than books, and area meant to be so.

We know that just about all large successful companies in the world use habit formation to drive people to purchase from them. Just about every large company has a data analysis group that learns people’s habits, and how to alter them in favor of the company. Game makers are no different, even if sometimes they’re not actively trying to get people hooked. Many honestly see it as making a game world that is fun to play and live in. But the methods they use naturally are to get people hooked on their games. They are not usually out with malicious intent, but the very nature of competing for the hearts and minds of consumers means that everyone is trying to get people hooked on their products. Some products are just more likely to result in addiction than others, due to the types of stimulation that you can obtain from the product or from the process of receiving the product (it is harder to get hooked on prunes than coffee, or water skiiing than gambling).

I’m not advocating any kind of action regarding this, not trying to destroy anything. Just saying what I see and what I’ve seen researched.

been there. the advent of ‘MMO mode’ does indeed seem to present a special quandary for more than a few of us bookworms and introverts.

XenoSilvano

Sounds like escapism to me. I do not blame her given the mundane lives we lead.

Ben Pottinger

People already do this same thing with various drugs, their career, sex with random people, etc etc etc. We could regulate all those things (and boy do we try, for all the good it does… IE, none) Or we can just realize that the world is a hard place and some people can’t handle it or don’t want to handle it (no judgement here) and choose to “check out” as much as possible. We should just let people do as they please with themselves and their own bodies and stop trying to run peoples lives.

Obviously this becomes a public concern when these people have a duty to care for someone who can’t care for themselves (invalid, child, etc) and their addiction or habits put those in their care in danger. Then something has to be done. Otherwise leave them to it.

I’ve literally lose weight because of a new game before, playing for 12-16 hours at a time in a day, forgetting to eat at all. That was back in my youth when I was more easily addicted to things, but I can see it happening all over. I imagine if you add the virtual sex and attachments aspect as well, to the already scary field of anime dating sims, you have the recipe for some serious dopamine abuse.

Yeah… I lost a lot of time to games, too. But I cut down, as soon as I realised that it was affecting real-life stuff. I avoid MMOs now, because I know I can’t (won’t?) play them casually.

Techutante

Yeah, I’ve stuck with Wow mostly because it’s the demon I know (Also, I have met most of my guild in person, and we like to hang out in other games too). I would never pick up a new MMO from scratch now though, for fear of being unable to control myself. What’s even worse are real-time based games like Travian. I had a total and all-consuming addiction to that stupid web-based pay-to-win city building/conquest game. I probably spent hundreds a month for a little while, but I could hardly notice.

TheNuszAbides

after weaning off of WoW just prior to Cataclysm, i surprised myself by getting sucked into SW:ToR once prices were slashed. but i don’t even have the (good friends also) guildies excuse this time around (and there’s certainly nothing innovative about the mechanics); it’s all about BioWare > Blizzard for storycraft. i MAY be able to kick it once i’ve completed every class chain and every romance…

Techutante

Whatever floats your goat. ;) Seriously though, we all have some amount of “nonconstructive” spare time that we want to blow on something, and if you enjoy reading quest dialog (or in that case, hearing it through the voice actors yes?), then there’s no shame in that. I mean, I spend at least as much time as anything else on obsessively reading random technology news. Not because I’m going to do anything with it, but because that’s what I geek out on.

eonvee375

i double that, you cant step on an adult cats head without it wanting you to do so…

more attention will be required withing the little kittens proximity

Zunalter

As sensible as your idea about a code of ethics for VR experiences is, as the internet has taught us, if someone wants something depraved, there are numerous people who are willing to provide that experience for the right price. Unfortunately, human nature trumps common sense many times.

Yeah, you’re right, it would be tough. But even so, the internet _does_ have a pretty good reputation for self-policing. Yes, if you want to find/do depraved stuff, it’s always going to be there — the same as with real life.

What I’m wondering about is whether it’s healthy for millions of people — who wouldn’t normally seek out depraved stuff — to start playing through very realistic, amoral VR experiences.

I’m almost certain that we’ll take the usual ‘wait and see’ approach. But I like to think about the future, in any case :)

Zunalter

I think this article brought up many fascinating points. Especially in light of your comments about how deeply WoW affected people, it is a near certainty that those incidents will only increase as VR becomes more powerful. People might call you a scaremonger or paranoid or whatever, but these issues should definitely be thought through before they are at our doorstep, akin to people asking about the ethics of self-driving cars.

Tony_IA

My guess is the same arguments about people “who wouldn’t normally seek out” things were used when the internet first became popular and everyday people realized what was available. There are people who thought cartoons were too violent, as their kids were outside playing cowboys and Indians or cops and robbers…since the late 1800’s, now they say war games are too violent (oh, and they are, violent and realistic without VR).

Still, as you said, thinking about the downsides of things is what helps to come up with ideas to protect against them – or at least be forewarned.
My guess is if you can survive the surprises of traffic or a haunted house, VR won’t be a problem. After all, unlike falling or getting hit by a rocket in real life – there is no physical feedback at this time, just visual and sound. And nobody prevents people from going into haunted houses…do they?

massau

yes i think Sebastian means a full immerse VR more like the matrix where you can really feel the virtual world and have a physical feedback.

massau

Yeah, you’re right, it would be tough. But even so, the internet _does_ have a pretty good reputation for self-policing.

yes the internet does a great job about self policing but the darkweb is the real wild west where you can find all the sick things, i have not visited it yet but it can be wonderful in both good and bad.

Kougar

I agree, keeping perspective and some morality inside a game is always beneficial. But just because the screen moves from 2 feet to 2 inches doesn’t suddenly change the impact of regular gaming (or the impact of their choices in the game) on the individual in my opinion.

My opinion doesn’t change unless we get to a point where VR is close to the Matrix level of immersion, specifically not just visual and audio but ALL of the senses. That’s when I would start worrying about players choices in games changing their everyday out-of-game decisions.

Deaths as a result of poor choices combined with VR will happen, no doubt about that. But the risk of being scared or startled or excited to death in a rush of adrenaline is small for a healthy individual, just as the risk of a heart attack during a regular morning run is also small but still always potential risk. Just as regular running decreases said risk of heart attacks, regular use of VR would probably desensitize the individual and lower the risks.

Asmodai

Soon first world countries will be full of the “HAVES” sitting in their VR setups with their physical needs being tended to by the third world “HAVE NOTS” hoping to make enough money to one day get their own VR setup and become one of the “HAVES”. Well, that or we’ll all be killed in the name of one religion or another. Either way… good times!

Matt Menezes

Sometimes I think it’s either religion or us. One has to die, and most likely at the hands of the other…

vfxant

Succinctly, superbly, stated. Drat, just blew a chunk out of my s-word quota…

Marc Guillot

I think that we are not there … yet. The VR helmet I tried, 15 years ago, was more confusing than anything else.

Sure, they have improved a lot, but with the lack of other senses, I can’t think that we would be able to confuse reality and virtuality.

People can die of heart attack watching a football match on the TV, so certainly it could also happen playing a VR game, but I don’t think that probabilities would be much higher. But remembering that I almost peed myself the first time I saw ‘Alien’, I may change my idea once I see the equivalent on a modern VR system.

Joel Detrow

I think this is where Transhumanism is going to come in. There will be a drive to reprogram human nature to avoid the urges of violence and other drives which, designed to keep us avoiding death rather than seeking happiness, increasingly interfere with life in modern society.

bob lebart

Capitalism being what it is, where there is profit, there will be products. Endless products, and we have only just begun. People will get hurt and die, just like they die from diet pills, and all manner of other toxic junk they are sold by profiteers. I can easily see down the road- WAY down the road, Congress getting involved with law-making, but by that time, scads of folks will have been maimed or killed. Think “seat belts” in the 1950’s cars, cigarette smoke, you name it- first we get lied to by the makers, then we die, THEN they pass laws 20 years down the road. Nevertheless, I CAN’T WAIT to get my hands on an Oculus Rift !!!!!!!!!!

Mojo

Happens in socialist nations too. Where there is greed for money (or control), there will be problems.

hk2000

Not sure about the risk of death you bring up, but the morality aspect is very interesting and indeed requires serious consideration: Will one be more inclined to commit a very immoral act in VR just because it’s not real? I’m afraid the answer may very well be yes for many people, which can possibly lead to a lot of real life perverts. Remember, seeing something- let alone experiencing it – over and over again makes it more and more acceptable.

So I think a code of conduct for software creators rather than users need to be established, but I doubt that would ever happen.

On the flip side, I could see this doing good. Blur the lines in the right places and we get training for things in life that we don’t normally have to deal with like car wrecks and natural disaster. Didn’t swerve right? Too bad, your character just died in a car wreck. Real life car wreck? Now you’ve been properly trained.

TheNuszAbides

the therapeutic and training applications in medicine are [getting] pretty hard to poke holes in, too.

Mojo

I used to be quite the technophile when I was younger. Maybe as I pass into my 30’s I’m becoming a fuddy-duddy, but more and more I do not want my kids playing around with technology like this. Read books. Go outside and play! Live life, instead of living vicariously. Make things! Do things! Don’t stare at a screen all day and waste your life like so many pathetic slobs.

massau

actually i learned more in terms of logic and problem solving from gaming then i learned from kicking a ball around. i personally prefer to read on the internet, watch youtube movies then reading books. the VR could even enchant the learning ability beyond books imagine if you look at a movie in a VR.

but i’m “special” like everyone, i’m a slow reader (dyslexia) and slow motoric skill learner (i require 2 to 4 time to learn the same thing) so reading books is extremely boring (no moving images) and playing a team sport isn’t fun ether because i “make them lose”.

but i also done some boy scouting so its all about finding a balance stay inside when its raining go outside when the weather is nice.

Ken B

I think VR will be great for those astronauts going to mars. Would they stay in an induced coma all the way, or would they live out a sci fi fantasy lol. I can see several benefits to this. It will help them keep their brain active, and help overcome the psychological stress of staying together for so long in a tight space. Connect to your VR world of choice for a bit of privacy. Vital data from the ship that needs to be monitored can appear inside the VR world as well.

IKROWNI

Doubt this will be much issue for the console users. The consoles were able to trick millions into believing the hardware they were getting was worth a shit but the shitty hardware will never be able to trick users into not being able to distinguish reality from VR.

Garu Derota

” it would be a good idea for us to try and behave with at least a modicum of morality” – wrong. this negate the whole premise of an incredible amount of games. in every game where you can kill someone, you do it without any morality. even Wow requires you to kill other peoples (or trolls, or whatever) the very moment you start gaming.
games are for stress relief and a great violence and anger channeller. killing 1 million ogres is a good way to forget how much you’d like to punch your boss in the face.
I think what we need is a safety system to avoid losing oneself in VR. maybe a timer that never lets a VR experience last longer than a fixed amount of time. or something like a superimposed digital clock in the corner of our FOV.
but no, morality is not something will ever be regulated. just because it’s regulated in reality. we don’t want another reality with the same limits of this one we have already!

massau

i think the best thing to implement are the same mechanisms which we have in (lucid) dreams like all watches give gibberish.

I remember reading this article called “x number of things that sound awesome but would actually be really bad”. The one that stuck with me was the holodeck from star trek. The article basically said this would be humanities last invention as a completely immersive experience would lead to people never leaving, never reproducing (why when you’ve got the perfect virtual mates), never working etc… The said aliens would find our planet with billions of human remains, smiling in their holodeck tombs…

massau

its also one of the fermi paradox solutions aliens have invented VR and build dyson spheres , self repairing robots and a backup plan when the star dies then they just lost interests into the real universe.

kzin53

But if they invent and market one before I die, I’m in!

Daniel Shepherd

For me i still think VR is more of a gimmick for gaming, but it may have some real world purposes. As far as gaming goes, your reactions will be to slow for many games like fps as you can only rotate your head so far.

Also i wonder if it affects people are are mentally unstable from medical conditions, as i suffer from some.

Dunbar

A gimmick? I tried the first Oculus DK over a year ago, it was low resolution, laggy, uncomfortable, and mind blowing. The technology has has progressed rapidly since then, VR will be revolutionary: it will change the way we interact with computers, permanently.

Techutante

On the basis of a first gen Oculus, which I can barely stand to use for longer than 10 minutes without a blinding headache and/or nausia, I started buying into kickstarters for VR accessories. So now, when I can actually get a set of VR goggles that don’t make me want to die while I use them, I’ve got the Omni and a gun controller and various stem packs and sensors and wireless air mice and brain readers to make the most of it. Fingers crossed for a decent consumer model by mid 2015 sometime.

James Riendeau

Bah! If I can’t open fire on a nunnery, rob a bank, and then peel off in a Bugatti for an assassination attempt on Uncle Vinni, why would I want a VR system to begin with? VR or not, sane people will be able to tell the difference between pixels and people and adjust their morality accordingly. I don’t drive the same way on the road as I do in Flatout or GTA.

Techutante

This is true, but a lot of your muscle memory is not precisely in the control of your active mind. I present to you the following short anecdote from my own life: I was in a big city where a friend of mine lives, and I had rented a car for the trip. When I got to the counter I was informed that the cheap model I had pre-paid for was not ACTUALLY available, and would I like a convertible Ford Mustang 2010ish instead, for the same price. WOULD I? So naturally that was amazing. I tried not to speed, did a pretty good job. So, fast forward, and I’m at my friends house, which was about an hour away from my motel (in another part of town, for other reasons, visiting my friend was just a bonus). We played MarioKart on the Wii for about 4 hours that evening. Mind you, this is MarioKart, the least realistic racing sim of all time, on a Wii, the least realistic graphics console. On my drive home, I literally couldn’t control my driving. I was speeding unconsciously, and I actually did a power-slide around a corner before I realized what I was doing. Fortunately it was late at night, and nobody caught me at it. But even so, the action of racing for 4 hours, even virtually with cartoons with a basic motion controller was enough to overpower my 20~ years of actual driving experience when combined with a suitably powerful car.

Sam Cerulean

When we are talking about problems with VR it seems for the most part we are talking about Problems that Occur in human nature most likely occurring from Neglect. Like any technology or situation in which we must act responsible are guided by our values and sense or morality. What I’m trying to say is, as I’m sure we are all aware our deep rooted rational and our notions about the choices we make in our daily lives are shaped early on by our parents and peers. I think this is largely the reason why technology is used for the wrong reasons.

I can see the issues with VR but for the most part I can see it having an amazing effect on society and hopefully it’s ability to reach a much wider audience than just gamers. The reason I think there is so many stupid mofo’s out there is because of there limited grasp on reality and experiences that give them the sense of the possible. I think the more we have valuable experiences in life, diverse ones. The more we can appreciate the world around us with better judgment.

On the other hand I can see Our sense of the possible leading some people to do bad things but I don’t think that’s a responsibility of VR to be blamed for people’s rational. I think it’s friends and families to provide better guidance.

To my last point I can quite easily see VR causing people to reject the mundane in their lives. In this World where the 0.0001% have more money combined than the rest of the 99.999% of Humanity will this cause people to demand more from the lives and seek it in the real world or will this be the greatest distraction forfilling us with contentfully fake experiances. As Morpheus Says what is the definition of real ?

Thoughts anyone??

Schorsch

If someone were to “enjoy” a hypothetical “child rape simulator” this is not a problem of TECHNOLOGY or the medium (here: software). It’s a problem of this person’s brain/mental state. Censoring and policing VR (which you talk here about) will not ‘cure’ someone who is wired “wrong” and who’s thinking about raping a child, neither do I have any reason to believe that it will turn people into child rapists. The problem here really is that some WILL without question call for policing and censorship while entirely not seeing WHERE the problem actually is. Asked differently: Let’s assume the most vile and sick VR games would exist. Do you think that policing them, say, forbidding a hypothetical Child Rape Simulator, would change anything for those “mentally off” people? They would STILL fantasize about raping or murdering since this has NOTHING to do with the technology, it has to do with your mental state. Aside from the fact that of course the majority of what “people” define as deprived is *subjective* anyway. Maybe we can find a consensus that a game where I run around killing innocents is “depraved”. But what about topics like porn, nudity etc? Do you think BDSM is “depraved”? What about scantily clad bikini girls? Maybe you think it’s “depraved” I just ate a sausage…because you are a vegetarian? Maybe you think I am depraved because I don’t go to church every Sunday. Or that I like rock etc…..you see we can play that game endlessly. We don’t REQUIRE a moral police in VR policing what we can do. In the same way as I don’t need such a policing in REAL life. Do you need someone to tell you “don’t go out and rape and kill, it’s bad”? Because (in theory) you could of course do it. And those WHO do/did (serial killers, rapists etc.) obviously did it despite that our law says it’s forbidden.

Magnus Blomberg

I think that policing VR is the same thing as policing thought. VR is not real in the same way that thoughts are not real.

You should be alowed to think anything you like or do anything you like in VR however deprived it may be considerd by others because you are not hurting any one else.

However if you are interacting with other people in a VR world that is another thing because you may cause harm.

XenoSilvano

The sort of practice gained from VR ‘could’ (may) empower (motivate) some people out there to put their VR experience to practice in reality.

Joe Hemmann

Addiction is addiction and it’s as old as humans. To say a video game addict neglected their child to death is going to somehow herald all of society falling into moral decay is as ridiculous as applying that argument to the invention of alcohol or any of the myriad of addictive mind altering substances that have come along in our history. People who do things like that have something wrong with them and would have done it in some other way had they been born 100 years ago. Also, to anyone who believes we ARE sliding into moral oblivion in recent years, look up crime statistics. I can’t say I’ve done it for everything, but after getting tired of hearing how you can’t let your children walk the street “these days”, I looked up violent crimes against children, and they have actually declined in the last 50 years. I believe it is likely a product of the 24 hour news cycle that we believe these things happen more often. We can’t help but hear about them more, so naturally we assume they’re actually happening more. They’re not, as a species we’re doing pretty ok, calm down and stop contributing to the false belief in our moral decay with pieces like this.

billafu

I think if you want to see what VR in a future America might be like, go watch the pilot episode of “Caprica”. With this country’s apparent love of guns and violence, it doesn’t seem like such a stretch.

How do I know – because if you push up against the walls of the simulation hard enough, then sometimes the simulation is forced to push back. Most of us are just walled garden game characters, with the illusion of freewill. So what’s acting as the wall some of you may ask, simple = money or lack of it, it keeps most characters locked to their location.

Most characters think their real though!

Not A real Name

‘Now read: Virtual Reality and the future of sex’ Seemed kind of funny to see after reading about the idea of policing morality in virtual worlds.

Another thing to consider is how people might deal with things like eating, drinking and sleeping and how that would affect them in a virtual world. If the experience was four dimensional by including tastes and smells, a person could potentially be convinced they are eating and becoming full.

The human body is really easy to trick since it relies on triggered stimulus for so many necessary functions.

dc

VR will definitely lead to a generation of marshmallows who will make WoW players look like athletes. That’s the scary side of it. I like what MS is doing with the interactive room idea. At least it forces people to get up and move about and you can add exercise requirements to the games.

Sam Cerulean

I don’t think VR is going be as bad as some people fear. more than anything I think this could be a great tool for learning and experiences needed to shape people in a positive way.

There will always be people who take things to the extremes but they will likely be a small minority. I think the thing stopping most people going outside and playing games instead is wealth inequality that is way out of balance. However I think this is soon to change.

dc

Income inequality? Bro are you f’ing serious? Now it’s not even their fault that they can’t get up, go outside and walk or exercise. It’s societies fault. That’s just pathetic man. I’ve been broke a couple times, first thing I always do is develop an exercise plan. Because if you are unemployed…. hey why not work out all day. But these other people, the fact that they are poor prevents them from doing that….. that’s a pathetic attitude bro.

Sam Cerulean

I’m talking about a new social phenomenon of recluses that sit at home playing all day playing games because of low economic opportunity because of falsed fake austerity. I don’t blame society but the level of corruption in Banks and Government.. an yes I do think that’s who are to blame for these issues.

I think if there was more opportunity there’d be less slobs, on the other hand I do agree that people should take more responsibility for creating opportunity for themselves. Just clearing up my perspective on that

XenoSilvano

I think the society (or ‘the system’) is to blame because it permits this sort of corruption to occure in the first place.

I would rather trust a supercomputer to govern society than the sort of whack-jobs in governments today.

XenoSilvano

It ‘is’ society’s fault, obviously the environments that people are raised in will influence the sort of people that the sort of society turns out. If you have a ##### environment you are going to get some ##### people.

How can you blame a person for their obscene acts if this is the sort of tools that their environment brought them up with, needless to say, there is a great deal about the sort of environment in which we live in that is need of fixing, the environment is going to have be fixed if we expect to produce the most healthiest human beings possible.

The only reason human beings cope with the sort of environment in which we live in is because we are adaptable, also, the human condition has a default that is healthful to the maintenance of a healthy human being, the vast majority of us want to live in positive environment because that is the best sort of environment in which for us to function healthy, of course we are capable of dealing with adverse situations but think we all know that is not the best state to be in for a prolonged period due to the way in which it negatively affects our overall health.

The dystopia is a good genre that portrays societies that have a fundamental flaw that the inhabitants of the society fail to notice of (initially) due to the fact that they were brought up to see that reality as normal, you would be surprised at how not so far removed that is from the sort of environment in which we all live.

As an example, in the past different civilisations believed different ideologies which we now know were a load #### (like witches for example), now lets contemplate about this for a bit… what sort of ideologies are common place in societies today that are a load of ####!?

dc

In America, that’s just ridiculous. Most of the people who don’t work out are just lazy, or the types who have 1,000,000 excuses. I have relatives who are millionaires who couldn’t bench press a broom handle. It’s all about your own personal motivation. There are no excuses.

arcwindz

Matrix is just one example and not a good one lol, try reading/watching japan’s Sword Art Online, that’s what i want from a VR world.

John Leonard

Actually, I think VR will help people get in better health. Just think of a walking or jogging machine but instead of looking a the wall in front, you can VR job in the Grand Cannon for example. Their is a bit untapped VR health sector market just waiting. Also, VR software could add a sensor that does not allow more than 3 hours of continues play. This type of thing could easy be included. I do not think death VR will get worse. The health sensors will ONLY get better to monitor ones body in real and VR.

korvics

Very cool article and an interesting perspective.

Zach Byrd

SAO anyone?…….

News Junkie

Interesting article. This same question has been explored as well even beyond the adrenaline and scare mentioned in the article and surprisingly this was considered by manga and anime authors for some time now popular ones such as Sword Art Online, Accel World etc. Those animes did consider moral, personal issues and questions that we as an individual and as a society will need to answer or consider when we do come up with the technology that totally blurs the line between the virtual and reality.

sleepeater24

Hmm, I think playing online with inconspicuous underlying adverts that alter the way u think would be the real problem. But only when this thing goes mainstream. I know its illegal due to how it alters thought, but with this rigged up to some serious online game over a mass populous in which everyone’s playing, I bet someone is gonna try it. But that being said, a system like that could draw people back into the real world via inconspicuous underlying notifications. “Shit gotta go to work” is more legit than “Shit, i think i want a pepsi”. But i bet someone is bound to try it. Especially since you have a screen right at ur face.

Magnus Blomberg

For some people VR could already be good enough.

What if you are completely paralyzed. Perhaps then you would choose to live in a VR world where you can move about and do lots of stuff. You could even control your feeding machine by eating or not eating in the VR-world.

My point is that instead of just making the VR world come closer to the real one we can make the real one get closer to the VR-worlds.

Sarpedon1069

I think realistic VR could cause otherwise moral people into turning into barbarous heathens. For example, I stopped playing the Grand Theft Auto video games because all I wanted to do was bash hookers with baseball bats and gun-down innocent bystanders. I found that the game caused me to change (in the real world) for the worse so I stopped playing. I can envision a realistic open-world VR game where players can do anything they want being developed in the future. I think this could tempt normal people to experiment with horrible acts like child molestation, rape, etc.

Yeah, but everyone is in their own way. Push the right buttons with any number of seemingly normal people, and you have an addict. Push a few more of those buttons, and you have an addict with suicidal tendencies. I’m paraphrasing here, but it’s likely that every “normal” person is less than 3 negative major life events from depression. Your mom dies, you cat dies, you fail at school, kill self. Throw a couple imaginary negative major life events in there, and it’s a heady mix.

Hehe, interesting. I guess some people will always be more susceptible to such things.

Kel-1

The mind can’t tell the difference between reality and what you tell it, this easy to prove by when you dream, ever had a wet dream thinking your having sex? Some people won’t be able to handle VR cause they not completely sane to start with.

Ben Pottinger

TLDR; Regulation!

Are we now going to try and extend the war on drugs into the “war on unapproved experiences”? How about instead we just apply common sense (narcoleptics shouldn’t drive, seizure prone people should maybe avoid flashing lights, etc etc) and realize that humans will find a way to die with every new invention we come up with. As long as the only people they take out are themselves its probably best just to not worry about it.

SuperPete

“I don’t think we’ve yet seen someone actually scared to death by a modern 3D/VR setup, but it’s only a matter of time”

Ah, the “I have no data but I’ll still make baseless statements as if they were fact” argument. Great.

jovian3780

I don’t think it’ll be too much different than it is now. Graphics might be good but they are far from realistic, even in 3D. VR will hit the scene before graphics improve enough for us to confuse it with reality. The biggest issue I see is blocking your vision and moving about your room. Yes it will be more immersive ,but realistic? No.

JasonEnzoD

You could have the same concerns about nightmares and dreams…

BertVisscher

Could the author of the above article please read through it again? I’d prefer not to give a list, but I did find two mistakes in the text.

HarryMonmouth

This thinking has legs. I remember once when I had gastroenteritis I spent an entire week listening to all the Harry Potter audio books, day and night. After hardly any sleep during that Harry Potter marathon I almost believed I was a wizard by the end of it. If audiobooks can have that effect then immersive interactive animated video and sound will definitely be enough to twist some people’s minds.

FarewellVHS

Reminder every 30 seconds….? That would totally break immersion which is the show point. As for a system for making sure people don’t run into things, AR is already here for VR products like Samsung Gear VR. Basically a pass through vision mode :)

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